Betting odds reveal Trump Cabinet pick facing most jeopardy in Senate confirmation hearings

President-elect Donald Trump is looking to assemble a Cabinet straight out of central casting full of TV personalities, MAGA loyalists and firebrands, but some of his more controversial picks could face a brutal confirmation process. 

Republicans will control the Senate come January, but some have signaled they could be willing to cross the GOP president-elect and even block several of his Cabinet nominees. 

Trumps choice for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, his pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Robert Kennedy Jr. and Pete Hegseth, who is tapped to lead the Defense Department, have emerged as the nominees most likely to face intense scrutiny. 

When it comes to betting odds, Hegseth is seen as the nominee least likely to be confirmed in the Senate with only 56 percent placing bets in his favor, according to Polymarket. 

It comes after MAGA favorite Matt Gaetz withdrew his name as nominee for attorney general last week in a shock move. Some Republicans behind closed doors said they could not support him over allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor. 

Trump instead named another close ally former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his nominee for top law enforcement officer to replace Gaetz. 

Many Republican senators have praised the picks while some Democrats have sounded the alarms.

But Republicans have an only 53 seat majority in the Senate meaning if just four lawmakers take issue with any nominee, their confirmation could would be blocked.

GOP senators including Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota are some of those who pose challenges for Trumps nominations. 

Some of President-elect Donald Trumps nominees for Cabinet positions have faced pushback and outrage for controversial pasts and/or limited experience

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, is one of the names that has drawn some of the harshest criticism from Democrats and even Republicans have questions about her being picked as Trumps top intelligence official. 

Trumps former UN ambassador Nikki Haley last week called her a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer on her radio program. 

Asked about her nomination on Sunday on CNN, Lankford did not definitively come out in support or against her confirmation. 

Were going to go through hearings. Were going to get everything out. Were going to get facts and information and the entire story, he said. 

Asked about concerns, Lankford said he has lots of questions. He noted specifically her meeting with Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2017. 

Gabbards confirmation could get exceptionally ugly with senators blasting her over her past comments but also going after each other. 

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said she is concerned Gabbard is a Russian asset on Sunday. 

The U.S. intelligence community has identified her as having a troubling relationships with Americas foes, so my worry is that she couldnt pass a background check, Duckworth said. 

I think she is someone who is wholly backed and supportive of [Russian President] Putin, and I worry that she will not have Americas best interests at heart, she argued. 

Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is Trumps pick for Director of National Intelligence

Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) fired back at Duckworths comments as ridiculous and outright dangerous. 

If she was compromised, if she wasnt able to pass a background check, if she wasnt able to do her job, she still wouldnt be in the Army, he claimed. Tammy is absolutely dead wrong on this, and she should retract those words.

Another nominee who is headed toward a nasty confirmation fight is Hegseth, who is nominated for defense secretary. 

The TV personality and veteran was accused of sexual assault in California in 2017, but charges were not brought.

DailyMail.com revealed exclusively on Sunday Hegseth also had a baby with his Fox News producer just weeks before the alleged assault. 

He also has faced fierce criticism for controversial comments that women should not serve in combat.

Pete Hegseth spoke with reporters while he was on the hill to meet with senators on November 21 as he tries to lock in support for his confirmation as defense secretary. He has been accused of sexual assault but denies the allegation 

But close Trump ally Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) on Sunday defended Hegseth. 

Dont let these allegations distract us. What we need is real significant change. The Pentagon has been more focused on pronouns than they have lethality the past four years. We need to get back to business, and I think Pete is just the person to do it, Hagerty said. 

Meanwhile, Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) argued the reason for the confirmation process is to get the full story. He said it would allow senators to ask questions and give Hegseth the ability to respond.

He argued Hegseth was never charged, and even before the hearings he said he already plans to support the confirmation. 

Im a yes on Pam Bondi, Im a yes on Pete Hegseth, Im a yes on Tulsi Gabbard, absolutely, Schmitt told NBCs Meet the Press.

While Gaetz withdrew before he could end up in the hot seat before senators, Bondi is expected to face a grilling during her confirmation. 

But criticism is largely expected to come from Democrats who would not have the power to block her confirmation on their own. 

Bondi served as Floridas attorney general from 2011 to 2019. Democrats main concerns are over her close ties to Trump and whether she would use the office to do his bidding. 

She argued in 2020 that Trump won Pennsylvania even though he did not. She also served as one of his lawyers in his 2020 impeachment trial. 

With her being named Trumps new pick to lead the Justice Department, her comments on Fox News where she declared the prosecutors will be prosecuted have resurfaced. 

Some Democrats have even acknowledged Bondi is technically qualified for the job but zeroed in on her relationship with the president-elect. 

They previewed some of the questions she could face during confirmation will likely revolve around whether she still believes Trump won the 2020 election against President Biden and how she intends to use the office.

But while Democrats gear up for a bruising confirmation battle over some of Trumps more controversial nominees, they have signaled there are those who could quickly sail through confirmation with bipartisan support.

Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday that Senator Marco Rubio is well qualified to become secretary of state. He did not come right out and say he would vote to confirm Rubio but was leaning toward it. 

But Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he does plan to vote to confirm Rubio and is open to confirming other nominees.

Democratic senators signal Senator Marco Rubio will be confirmed to as secretary of state with bipartisan support

Fetterman clarified on Fox News Sunday he is not committed to supporting his one-time Senate rival Dr. Mehmet Oz, but he is open to it. Oz was tapped by Trump to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

I’m open to a dialog here what he has to say about these things, he said. I’m not sure why that’s controversial. 

A more contentious pick from the president-elect is his choice of Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS for a series of reasons including his anti-vaccine stance.

It remains to be seen whether Kennedy can garner enough support with Republicans. 

Among those who could play a key role as to whether he is confirmed is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a polio survivor, who is stepping down as GOP leader but still wields great influence in his caucus. 

So far, McConnell has been mum on his own support for Trumps nominees, but he has said it is important that the Senate does its due diligence in vetting his picks. 

All eyes are ons several Republicans senators including Collins, Murkowski and McConnell over whether they will oppose any Trump Cabinet nominees

But new polling shows Republicans overwhelming support Trumps nominees named so far, so Republicans at this early stage could tread lightly.

The CBS News poll found 75 percent of Republicans said Rubio was a good choice while 71 percent support Trump naming Gabbard as a nominee. 

80 percent of Republicans said Kennedy was a good choice. A lesser but still clear majority of 64 percent of Republicans claimed Hegseth was a good choice. 

But overall, Americans still want the Senate to hold confirmation hearings. 76 percent said there should be hearings. Just 24 percent said Trump should be able to appoint people without them. 

Even a majority of Republicans said there should be Senate hearings with 55 percents supporting to 45 percent who said Trump should be able to appoint people without.